


A stronger kind of friendship

by Cosmic Mayhem (cosmicmayhem)



Category: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab, Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Crossover Universe, Gen, because I said so, theyre friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29993199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicmayhem/pseuds/Cosmic%20Mayhem
Summary: The Sarows is a legend in the seas of Arnes. The Wraith is a legend in the seas of Ketterdam. What would happen if they met?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

The soft swaying of the ship in the harbor, combined with the heat of the late afternoon, was almost enough to put Lila to sleep. She tipped her head back against the rough wood of the mast, letting her face catch the sun as it crept lower and lower in the sky.

Just a few more hours, and she could leave. Then a few short days, and she'd be back to Arnes. Back to Kell.

She always preferred when they could travel together, of course. The two of them, and sometimes four, if Luc and Rhy managed to get away, traveling the world together. But the instructions for this rendezvous had been specific - No Men. And Lila had to admit, her curiosity had been stronger than her desire to have Kell at her side. Besides, he could use some quality time with his brother.

She'd heard rumors, of course, of the enigmatic Captain Ghafa. And yet nothing ever managed to stick, no one had ever really seen her in action. The Wraith, they called her, though Lila thought that might also be the name of her ship. She was involved, somehow, with one of the most notorious crime lords of Ketterdam, a city on a small island far beyond the radius of her usual travels.

The summons had appeared on the leg of a black crow, the message addressed to The Sarows listing no more than a time and a place. So she went.

"Soon, eh?" Lila's first mate appeared at her side, gesturing towards the horizon where the sun was finally beginning to slip away.

Lila hummed in response, checking each of her knives slowly, methodically. It had become a sort of prayer, a mantra for these long journeys away.

The first knife, the one she'd stolen shortly after arriving in Red London. The second, won in a card game. The third, won from Lenos after she'd singlehandedly taken The Copper Thief. The fourth, a gift from Holland before he'd returned to White London one final time. The fifth, comissioned specially for her, a gift from Rhy when she'd officially assumed command of The Night Spire. The sixth, borrowed from Kell. "You'd better come back," he'd told her before handing it over. "I like that knife. I want it back."

Each one was as much a piece of her as her glass eye, its black surface reflecting the very last rays of light.

"It's time," she said at last, moving to light the six lamps scattered across the deck, her signal to The Wraith.

And then she waited, dancing the tip of Kell's knife across her fingers, ready in case she needed to summon her magic quickly. She kept her good eye trained on the harbor, as did the rest of her crew, searching for any signs of movement.

Nothing. No movement, no noise. Lila was starting to wonder if she'd been set up when a voice appeared out of the darkness, behind her.

"Captain Bard, I presume."

Lila whirled to face the voice, knives ready, a thin line of blood already beginning to rise from her palm. But the woman behind her couldn't have been older than Lila herself, short and slight, palms upturned in surrender.

"Allow me to introduce myself," she said, a faint, wicked grin flickering across her face. "My name is Inej Ghafa, captain of The Wraith."

Lila was struck, suddenly, by the power of this woman. They were both captains, young and strong, feared and horribly underestimated. But The Wraith, Inej, she had done it all without an ounce of magic. Lila shook her hand almost reverently.

"Lila Bard. Welcome aboard The Night Spire. Care for a drink?"

* * *

Inej had never liked admitting when she needed help. She'd been alone for so long, until the Crows. Even then, she hated looking weak. She was always happier when she worked alone.

If she was alone, she wouldn't have to hurt when people left. When she left.

And then there were the facts of this particular mission, one she couldn't trust just anyone to help with. While Nina was still in Fjerda, she had few options of where to turn.

That was, until rumors had reached her of The Sarows, a pirate captain as fearsome as she. And, more importantly, a woman. So Inej had begrudgingly admitted her need for help, and written out a summons.

Sitting across from her now, Inej felt she'd made the right choice. Lila was smart, strong, and easily powerful in the way most grisha were. She knew the other captain had some sort of power, even if it wasn't grisha power, and hoped it would be enough.

"I have a proposition for you," Inej started at last, taking a long sip of her drink.

Lila swirled her own glass, but her focus was wholly on Inej. "So, let's hear it."

Inej sighed and began to outline the problem. She'd taken the ship easily enough, killing the men and freeing the women who would have been sold into pleasure houses. The problem had arisen later, when it became evident that all of the women were also grisha, and the traffikers had friends with a vested interest in their quick recapture.

Inej's own ship had become too obvious - every traffiker from Novyi Zem to Ravka knew The Wraith. But The Sarows and The Night Spire were still nothing more than a rumor, and the grisha women could be truly free in Arnes. In fact, in a place where she'd heard magic was as common as waffles, the grisha would fit right in.

Lila listened intently as Inej explained, nodding occasionally or tilting her head. When she was done, Inej held her breath until Lila answered.

"I'll do it."

Inej kept one eye on the captain as she ushered her charges aboard The Night Spire. She trusted Bard because she had to, she told herself, not because she felt any kinship with the woman. Kinship, after all, could only lead to further heartbreak.

Her hand fell to the knife at her hip, the only one not named after a saint. "Matthias," she whispered its name, before wrenching her attention back to the task at hand. She had no business getting sentimental until this was all over.

Soon enough, all of her rescued grisha were aboard The Night Spire, and Captain Bard was returning to stand beside her on the deck.

"I don't usually do this kind of work for free, you know," she said, gaze fixed out at the docks.

"Of course," Inej knew this was coming. After all, what pirate sailed for free? But still she felt it sink like a weight into her chest. Some small part of her had hoped Lila wouldn't ask. Nina wouldn't have asked, would've said "us girls have to stick together," and smiled her easy smile, and tossed her hair over one shoulder.

But Lila was not Nina. Inej pulled a purse from her hip and held it out. "I hope this is enough."

Lila still didn't look at her. She also didn't reach out and take the money.

"I said I don't USUALLY do this for free," Lila emphasized, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Next time, I want waffles."

When she finally turned to face Inej, there was a hint of a smile, a glimmer of friendship in her one brown eye.


	2. Chapter 2

The letter arrived twenty two days after Lila left with the grisha refugees.

_Wraith_ , it said. _Thank you for the beautiful dresses. They all survived the long journey wonderfully, and are finding excellent new homes in the closets of fashionable ladies such as ourselves._

_I ended up keeping the blue and silver gown you were particularly concerned about, as it seemed so perfect aboard my ship. If you have any further clothing you wish to pass on to a new friend with a shared appreciation for fashion, you know where to reach me._

_\- Sarows_

The message, though coded, was clear. The grisha had made it safely to Arnes. And one of the squallers had even found a home aboard The Night Spire.

"Thank the saints," Inej muttered, slumping over the desk in her cabin aboard The Wraith. The past three weeks had been torture, worrying that The Night Spire had met some terrible fate. Even better, it seemed as though Lila Bard would be amenable to working together again.

Inej picked up a pen to scrawl a reply, twirling it between her fingers as she thought of what to write.

_Sarows_ , she began. _I am glad to hear your journey went well._

No.

_Sarows,_

_It is so unfortunate that so few people seem to care about fashion these days. I am lucky to have found a kindred spirit in you._

No. No no no.

_Sarows,_

_I'll keep you in mind next time I have some dresses to send._

Everything she wrote was coming out wrong. She had never been much for words, preferred to stay hidden in the shadows, speak with her knives. Jesper and Nina were the ones who were meant to be charming, who knew how to make friends.

For the second time since meeting Lila, Inej felt the pain of her absent friends like a missing limb. She was, despite her better judgement, becoming soft. Sentimental.

Perhaps she should set sail for Ketterdam. She had good reasons, she told herself. There were always ships of traffickers arriving in the ports, bringing more stolen women for the pleasure houses. She could pick up a few leads there, see if Kaz had heard anything.

And if she had some extra time to check in on Jesper and Wylan... If, over dinner, she happened to solicit some advice on her struggles with letter writing... Well, that would certainly be a happy coincidence.

Inej stormed above deck and commanded her crew to set sail for Ketterdam.

* * *

It had been too long since she'd last sat at this table, last shared a drink and a meal with the people who had become her family. Inej was happy aboard The Wraith, but she never smiled as much as she did when Wylan played the piano. She never laughed as loud as when Jesper told one of his filthy jokes.

She was in an easy mood, relaxed and lounging after dinner, when she finally brought up the secret, real reason for her visit.

"So, I made a new acquaintance," she said, hoping her words sounded casual. "Another pirate captain."

"Ooh," Jesper smirked, "going to give Kaz a run for his money?"

Inej threw a napkin at him. "No, idiot. Another female pirate captain."

Jesper just raised an eyebrow, his look suggestive enough for Inej to know what he was still thinking.

"Stop," she threatened, "or next time I'll throw a knife, not a napkin."

"Kinky," Wylan muttered under his breath, and she and Jesper both spluttered into peals of laughter.

"Oh no, Wy," she finally managed to gasp, between fits of laughter. "Jesper's been corrupting you, hasn't he?"

Wylan just blushed.

"Okay, so tell us more about this lady pirate," Jesper finally managed.

Inej started explaining the details, how she'd convinced Lila to help her smuggle the grisha far, far away. How Lila had written her a letter, and now she didn't know what to do.

"Well, she seems like a perfect friend for you," Jesper chimed in once she was done speaking. "So what would you want to send yourself?"

* * *

The package arrived during dinner, and Lila had to refrain from tearing open the thick wax seal then and there. She wanted to open it in the safety of her rooms, in case it contained any confidential pirating business.

Or, perhaps, because some small part of her still wanted to keep Inej to herself. She hadn't had many (any) female friends before, and if they were to be friends, she would do it without the three most obnoxious men she'd ever met.

So she waited, painfully, as she picked at the rest of her meal with Kell, Luc, and Rhy. Waited as they laughed and joked and teased her about her secret mystery package. Waited as their talk turned to politics and war and all sorts of boring things.

The moment the last dishes were cleared, however, she was off. She grabbed her package and raced up to her rooms, barely avoiding running into several guards in the process. She closed her door and threw herself onto her bed, already tearing at the heavy brown wrapping.

_Sarows_ , the attached letter read. _I noticed during our meeting that our mutual interests extended beyond the world of fashion. Please accept this gift as a token of my thanks, and know that you are welcome to send garments my way as well._

_-Wraith_

Inside the box, wrapped carefully in purple cloth, was a knife unlike almost anything Lila had seen before. It was long and thin, small enough at the tip to easily slip into the gaps in most armor. And, most importantly, it was wickedly sharp.

Lila lifted the knife, testing its balance and feel as she slashed through the air. But this knife wasn't meant to slash, she could tell. No, with a fine point like that, it was made to stab through a man with the precision of a lady doing needlepoint.

She loved it.

Lila lined up all her knives across the bedspread, setting this newest one at the end of the line. Yes, she thought. She and Inej were going to be very good friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The knife Inej sends to Lila is a traditional stiletto. This knife style was invented in Italy in the 15th century and became popular among Italian criminals and assaasins during the 16th century. It did eventually spread to America, but as far as I can tell it was never particularly popular in England(though I'm by no means a historical weapons expert). This means the knife style would have been familiar to Inej (a criminal in what is essentially 16th century Venice) while largely unfamiliar to Lila (19th century England). This is, of course, ignoring the obvious time travel they would have to be doing, and the fact that these are both fictional universes.  
> ((Although technically the lands could still coexist within loose interpretations of real world countries. I have a map.))


End file.
